Rain Will Make the Flowers Grow
by xoThanksForTheMemoriesxo
Summary: Something terrible happens to Blair. Unspeakable. A darker story; definitely not for everyone but it is also a story of hope.
1. Baptized With a Perfect Name

**PLEASE READ: Well I've been on a Facts of Life binge for a couple of months now so that's where my writing's gone to :) I will warn you that this story has darker themes and if it offends you, well then I'm sorry. I really appreciate reviews! Follows**** and favorites are great but reviews are even better and it keeps the updates coming. I already have most of this story complete, there will probably be around 7-9 chapters. This will be a story about family. I appreciate your reading and please review!**

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"It didn't happen, it didn't happen..." the aching blonde cried to herself as she painfully threw one foot in front of the other. The biting airs of the night filled her chest as she walked back toward her home. _Home. _It hurt.

She had never been more sensitive to pain, the tenderness in her legs, and the blood coming from where her body was torn. It was scary because she didn't know if he had permanently damaged her, he had ripped her in places she didn't even know was there. She didn't want to know.

Everyone kept telling her to slow down, stop seeing so many guys. Why did she have to go out almost every night? Why couldn't she be reasonable, why did she have to have so much attention? She brought this on herself. This was all her fault. If you want attention, you're going to get attention. And why let a stranger offer you a lift home? How stupid. Why couldn't she see his game?

_All her fault...not thinking...a stranger..._

After arriving home in the late hours she sluggishly but quietly climbed up the stairs; everyone else was already asleep and she didn't want to wake anyone, she just wanted to go to sleep. Tomorrow was a brand new day; she could wake up and take a shower, put on some new clothes, fix her hair and forget this whole night ever happened.

And if she couldn't right away, then she could learn to forget what it felt like in time. Erase it from her memory like it was never there. If you can tell yourself a lie over and over, you can start to believe it, and that was what she planned to do. Because no one had to know that her perfect light was gone and that her body was ruined. It was easier this way. This little incident didn't have to change her, she was bigger than that, she was still _her_: strong and confident.

She tip toed into the bedroom that she shared with her three best friends, they were all asleep. She quietly changed out of her ripped dress, throwing it under her bed like a piece of trash. He had taken her undergarments, so her body was bare with the exception of a long skirted slip. As she crawled underneath her blankets she then felt a sense of relief. She was home, in her warm bed, with her friends all around her; she was finally safe.

Blair slid down into the bed and pulled the covers over her head, _you're still Blair Warner _she told herself.

"It didn't happen..." she whispered under the sheets. And that was that.

It didn't happen, it couldn't happen to her, not _her_...it never happened...

~*:*~

Two months later, 20 years old, she was staring herself down in the mirror of the bathroom. Eyes red and puffy, her cheeks were flushed and her throat burned. She turned the faucet on to brush her teeth once again; once just wasn't enough, the smell was still in the back of her throat. It was bad.

The toothbrush flew into her mouth and immediately began scrubbing everywhere frantically, not missing one spot in her mouth. She had to get this smell off. It was making her sick all over again. She cleaned her teeth, her gums, her tongue…her teeth again, her gums again, her whole entire mouth was going to be sore she was scrubbing so hard. She just had to get the smell off. She threw her toothbrush down and rinsed her mouth out with cold water before looking up, examining her own reflection.

She hated looking at herself, it wasn't _her_ anymore, this wasn't _her_, it didn't work, _her_ brilliant plan didn't work and now look what happened. _NO. This isn't happening._ She was Blair, this wasn't happening to _**her**_.

_Why did he have to do this-NO. STOP. It didn't happen. Remember? It did not happen._

She wouldn't allow it. She wouldn't be damaged goods; Blair Warner was capable of everything. There wasn't one thing that she couldn't overcome, how was this any different? Being flawless wasn't an act or a stand she posed on herself; it was who she was, wasn't it?

~*:*~

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep her food down. EVER. One evening Jo, Natalie, and Tootie were all in the kitchen making spaghetti for dinner. Blair was on her way down to the kitchen but stopped before she got there, she had become so sensitive to smells and the smell of the tomato sauce with the onions hit her like a ton of bricks.

Jo heard her coughing in the bathroom when she began to call her down to eat; she waited until Blair came out,

"Are you okay?" she asked concerned.

Blair shook it off, "Yeah just the smell of the onions upset my stomach I guess."

_Onions?_ Jo threw her head back, "Well we've made spaghetti a thousand times and it never made you sick before."

Shrugging her shoulders Blair didn't seem to interested, "I don't know, it does now I guess. But I'm not hungry anymore so I think I'll go lie down."

She turned started walking away, Jo folded her arms watching her. That was weird.

~*:*~

That wasn't the last time Jo caught Blair, it happened again days later when Jo started watching her friend.

In the mirror Blair was crying at herself again, she had never once been uncomfortable in her own body but every time she got sick it just reminded her that she wasn't in control anymore, and that was just about as scary as anything.

After fixing her runny eyeliner she opened up the door to find Jo in the doorway, one hand leaning against the doorframe, blocking her from moving forward. "Excuse me," she started, attempting to move past her but Jo brought her other hand up on the other side of the doorframe.

"This is the fourth time in one week that I've listened to you barf your guts out," the brunette said bluntly. Blair lifted her chin and straightened her collar before Jo continued; she softened her tone, "There's no spaghetti today, there wasn't yesterday when you couldn't hold down your dinner and there wasn't any this morning. So what is going on?"

"I've been sick."

"Well if you're that sick then maybe you should go to the doctor..."

Blair shrugged her shoulders, "Okay," she mumbled and she began to move past her again but Jo didn't budge, "I'm not done," she continued.

Jo let a few seconds pass as she took her hands off of the doorway, "I been watching you Blair," she stared.

The blonde kept a straight face, and then smiled casually, "Well that doesn't surprise-"

"I mean I've been WATCHING you," Jo interjected. Blair crossed her arm but she didn't let up,

"And I'm worried about you," she said nodding at her stomach. No, she was just rude. How dare she be so impolite?

"Blair if something's going on-"

"NOTHING'S going on," Blair established still smiling, she freely moved past her now. Jo watched her walk out of their room; yes there was absolutely something going on. Not only had Blair's chest become fuller along with the frequent bathroom trips, but Blair had definitely toned down her social spectrum. She didn't go out, unless the whole group did, and when she did she didn't say much. She had really changed introvertedly, and that was not Blair. Yes something was definitely going on, Jo felt pretty confident she knew exactly what it was too. But this wasn't like Blair to try to run away from her problems, she always tackled them head on. Why was she doing this? Why? Jo figured that in due time, Blair would.

~*:*~

Jo waited. The day passed, the night came and left and the next morning arrived. Another day passed. Another night passed…weeks went by, the sun would rise and fall and Jo kept watching, and waiting. A month later and Blair never said one word to her. Even with school and work keeping her roommates occupied, how could they not notice the drastic change in Blair? Jo was watching though, she had always been watching.

She was the first to notice Blair becoming less involved with everyone and everything; the more she thought about it…it seemed that she'd been very distant from her friends for more time than what she realized. How long had it been since she went out with a boy? Every day it was the same routine over and over, Blair would wake up, go to school, come home from school, work her shifts in the kitchen, spend hours reading and then she went to bed. Jo tried talking to her several times, but it never got anywhere. "It's none of your business," Blair would always reply, every time.

One day Jo found Blair lying down on her bed with her eyes shut in the middle of the day. "It's 2 in the afternoon what are you doing sleeping?" she asked.

Blair's eyes opened to a squint, "I'm tired. Go away." Jo sat down on her bed, next to Blair's, "Don't you have a life anymore? You're always hanging around the house-"

"And what is wrong with that?" Blair interrupted closing her eyes.

"Well if you're Blair Warner, it's something."

"No, it's none of your business. Maybe I just want things to slow down for a change."

Jo shook her head, "Slowing down doesn't mean cutting yourself off from your life. Which is exactly what you've been doing."

Blair rolled over, her backside facing Jo. Jo stood up aggravated, "Well, maybe you've forgotten, but you have a whole house full of people who love you and would do anything for you. So if there's something bothering you, and OBVIOUSLY there is. Just say it."

Blair sighed very loudly; and Jo flew up and walked out the door, slamming it behind her. Why did she have to be so difficult?

~*:*~

Early the next morning before everyone was up, Jo awoke to the sound of a frustrated grumble in the bathroom. She sat up in bed, Natalie and Tootie were still asleep, if only she wasn't a light sleeper. She quietly got out of bed and tip toed to the bathroom door, she waited a second before opening it slowly. Blair was wearing only a bra and her skirt, which wasn't even zipped; she was struggling to zip it up. Blair turned her back quickly, "Can't you knock?" she furiously whispered. Jo's eyes widened as she ignored her, and grabbed the girl's shoulders and turned her around. Her belly, it wasn't flat like it always was. There was a very small, but very visible lump that was never there before.

Jo stepped back, "You ARE pregnant." Blair quickly threw her blouse over her head and pulled it down frantically. "I am not, how dare you?" she retaliated, still keeping her voice below a whisper. She pushed past Jo and out the open door, her footsteps light across the bedroom floor. Jo quickly followed after her which eventually landed them in the living room, which was still dark.

"I'm leaving early this morning, I have to-"

"Does anyone know? Does Mrs. G know?" Jo interrupted. "Why are you trying to hide it? With those blouses that go out, all poufy and what not. What are you doing?"

Blair squinted her eyes appalled, "I am NOT pregnant. I think I know my own body better than you do."

"WHY HAVEN'T YOU TOLD ANYONE?" Jo asked again fiercely. Blair exhaled sarcastically while rolling her eyes.

"I'm going to be late so excuse me," she said walking out of the door.

Jo was dumbfounded._ Now what? _Blair had never scared her like this before, ever. This was so confusing, where was Blair going, why was she acting like this? Is this her place to tell Mrs. G her concerns? What was she doing?

She rubbed her hands together, it only took her about ten more seconds to realize that this was a risk she wasn't willing to take.

~*:*~

Jo shook Mrs. Garrett awake, "Mrs. G!" Edna woke suddenly and saw Jo standing over her bed,

"Jo? What are you doing?" she said confused. Jo shook her head; she sat down on the edge,

"Mrs. G, it's Blair..."

Suddenly Mrs. Garrett was wide awake, "What? What happened?" she inquired and sat up.

Jo held her hands up, "Mrs. G, Blair ain't here. She's pregnant and she just ran out and I have a really bad feeling-"

Mrs. Garrett grabbed her by the arm, "Hold on slow down," she reasoned. "Now what did you just say?"

Jo gathered herself, "I said that Blair is pregnant. She keeps saying she isn't though, but I know she is and she knows she is. And she just left in a hurry and I have a really terrible feeling, Mrs. G."

"Okay honey, thank you," Edna said quickly rising up and leaving the room. Jo stayed on her bed. _What did I just do?_

~*:*~

The girls were all in the living room when Blair walked through the door, her eyes were very, very wet.

"Blair!" Mrs. Garrett exclaimed, "Where have you been -"

"Mrs. Garrett," Blair's voice shook, "can I talk to you?"

"What's going on?" Tootie asked concerned, Natalie crossed her arms and Jo just stood behind the couch very quiet. Mrs. Garrett walked over to the young girl and took her hand; she led her away into the kitchen.

Mrs. Garrett closed the door, and wasted no time, "What is going on with you, Blair? Tell me the truth. Jo said-"

"I went to an abortion clinic in the city this morning," Blair blurted out.

The words hung in the air for several moments, they cut like a knife.

The older lady put her hand over her heart, "Abortion…" she whispered.

The young girl put her hands over her stomach. "I went to-" but she stopped, she couldn't finish. Blair covered her mouth, tears forming and her voice breaking, "Yes I know, it was so terrible Mrs. Garrett…"

"What happened?" Edna said taking her hands. Blair couldn't stop the tears they just kept coming. "I went there to-oh I can't hear myself say it out loud," she sobbed.

"Jo said-"

"Jo saw me this morning, and she told me that she knew but I told her it wasn't true. But I lied, it's true."

"What's true?" Edna asked softly, tightening her grip on her girl's hands. Blair shook her head, "I'm pregnant. I didn't do it, I left before they called my name and-oh, please don't hate me, Mrs. Garrett, I'm so sorry!"

Edna threw her hands down and grabbed her tight holding her; she stroked her back, "It's okay, it's going to be okay, we're going to figure this out…"

"Mrs. Garrett, I don't know what's going to happen."

"Neither do I dear but," she paused and kissed Blair's cheek, "I promise everything is going to be okay..."

The girls were listening

~*:*~

"Blair is going to have a BABY..." Tootie said amazed, her ear coming off of the kitchen door. Natalie sat down on the couch, eyes wide, "I can't believe it."

Jo was still standing behind the couch, she couldn't believe it either, how could she not have figured it out by now...it made so much sense.

"You two keep your big mouths shut, do you understand?" she hissed. The two girls nodded their heads quickly.

"I MEAN IT," she got louder, "I mean none of your little friends, ESPECIALLY anybody at Eastland. Don't talk about it, not to each other either, not to anyone. Just keep your mouths shut."

"Okay Jo," Natalie whined; "Yeah we won't," Tootie said.

"Get out of here," Jo commanded and the two girls got up fast and ran up the stairs, "So bossy..." she heard. Jo rubbed her face, _this is really happening._

On the other side of the door Mrs. Garrett was holding together a breaking Blair, "Mrs. Garrett I am so sorry!" she kept saying over and over, "I'm so sorry..." Edna was stroking her back and saying words of comfort, "I've got you...I love you...you're going to be okay, we're all going to be okay..."

She was humiliated by everything, but what bothered her most was that she didn't have the strength to face what was happening to her. She thought that by holding it in and handling it herself was a way of holding on to her dignity and showing how brave she was; she thought her father would be proud. And when she was sitting in the cold office of the clinic that early morning, hearing name after name...something happened. She began to feel something different. It was the same feeling that she had when she was lying in the back of the bad man's van.

She wanted to go home, this place made her feel uncomfortable. Blair was looking around the room at the women who were sitting around her, she didn't know them, and she didn't want to be around them. She wanted to just be in her home where she felt good. Not bad. Not like the way she was feeling here.

There was so much pressure on her chest, she looked down and noticed her hands were shaking. Then she put them both on her belly, she looked down and stared at her stomach. There was a baby there. And why did that have to be a bad thing?

"I've got you..." Mrs. Garrett continued to say while crying with her.

Through the panic and the tears Blair believed that. She knew that if she had nothing else in this world that she had Mrs. Garrett, and friends that she would die for. And now, she had something to live for.

* * *

**I hope you liked it, and if you didn't then that's okay it's not a story for everyone. I understand FOL was a funny show, but it was also very popular for taking on controversial topics. Blair is my favorite character so don't think I'm being mean to her either, I love Blair! If you think I should post more then please let me know in a review and I will! Thanks!**


	2. War Between Her and the Day

**Thank you for checking out my story :-)**

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Mrs. Garrett had to explain to the rest of the girls that things between Blair were going to be _complicated_, for now.

"Blair's going through something she's not quite ready for, that means that being her friend, is the best thing that you can do for her right now."

The next day when Tootie and Natalie were at school Blair told Mrs. Garrett what happened. The whole truth. Everything. She told her about how she went out to a party with a guy she met at school and how he left her there. Then a different man, a little older than her date kept hitting on her. She said that she liked the attention and he offered to give her a lift home in his van since her date abandoned her.

Then she told her what happened next and it broke Mrs. Garrett's heart. He didn't take her home. After pulling over on the side of the back road she described how it felt funny, the whole atmosphere changed. He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. She pulled away disgusted,

"What are you doing?" she remembered asking him before he began taking off his coat and locking the doors, locking them both in.

Being shoved into the back of the van was where she had to stop for a little bit. She didn't want to talk about it with Mrs. Garrett, it was too embarrassing and she just didn't want to say anymore. But Mrs. Garrett just took her hand waited, eventually she continued.

She screamed loudly for someone to help but no one could hear.

He was so aggressive when he removed her clothes and wasted no time in taking her. It all happened so fast, and the pain, it was so sudden that she didn't even have time to get nervous.

She remembered how he didn't say much, just that it wouldn't hurt as much if she would stop fighting him.

She was very aware of what was happening but she really tried to block it out.

_Oh please let it be over soon..._

And it was over.

And she wasn't a virgin anymore.

Then he drove a little ways down the road while she laid still in the back in shock. He told her to get out at some point and she did, he drove off quickly and that was the end of that.

Mrs. Garrett knew that after months and months it would be incredibly difficult to even catch the guy.

"It doesn't matter," Blair shrugged, "I mean I know I'm going about this the wrong way but...I just want to...forget it all," she said surely.

"Honey, you'll never be able to just forget it."

Blair shook her head, "I'm too tired to talk about this anymore. I mean what's the point? I wouldn't even believe me..." Edna took her hand and kissed it, "I believe you. And we're all here for you. If you want to go to the police, and I strongly urge you too, I'll take you down there right now."

"I don't want talk about it anymore. I'm just so tired of dealing with all of this."

"But Blair don't you want to have justice?" Edna almost gasped.

"Mrs. Garrett," Blair answered calmly and slowly, "the only thing that I want is to feel like myself again."

Edna stayed silent for a moment; she leaned in and kissed her cheek,

"I love you, but I really wish that you would go to the police."

"Mrs. Garrett," she stopped her quietly, "I have bigger problems right now."

•°•ღ•°•

Immediately after Blair left Edna's room she was confronted by Jo, who was taken aback,

"Why didn't you tell me you were raped?!" Jo shouted.

Blair grabbed her by arm and hushed her, "Keep your voice down!"

They both walked into their bedroom and shut the door,

"WHY BLAIR?" she shouted again.

"This isn't your business Jo, just stop."

"I hate it when you do this!" Jo spoke harshly. Blair wrinkled her nose, "What are you talking about?" Jo shook her head, "You always do this, acting like it's not a big deal, telling everybody it's not our business, Blair you're my best friend, of course it's my business!"

Blair stroked her hand, she looked away from Jo, "Well you already know all there is to know."

"That's not what this is about. I'm sick to my stomach that you're going through this and I just want to help but you won't let me."

"So don't take it personally, I just want to be by myself right now. I have a lot to think about."

Jo rubbed her forehead and took a few moments to gather her thoughts. Blair did the same.

After letting the tension loosen Jo asked Blair is she was going to keep it.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know yet. I want to, but I really don't know."

Just then Mrs. Garrett knocked and opened the door, "Is everything alright in here?"

"Yeah," Jo said. Edna walked with her face was drawn, "I couldn't help but overhear you. Are we talking about ...the baby?"

Blair nodded her head sadly. "Blair honey, if you want to keep it, I'll help you. I'll help you raise it."

Her eyes shifted back to Jo's, who was in tears herself, "So will I."

Blair looked at them both, she threw her hands up in the air, "I want to..." she said walking to her bed and sitting down. She put her hands over her face, "I'm not ready for this but I want to..."

"You're under a lot of pressure right now," Edna said compassionately, "you can take your time deciding what you want but you know now that we're all here for you, for you both."

She nodded her head and put her hand over her heart, "Thank you. I really appreciate that."

Edna and Jo left Blair to herself. She let the door close and arose from her bed. She looked around the room she shared with her friends, her three friends. She tried to picture a crib in there...but they were cramped already, how could they find room for a crib? What about her closet, it already was overflowing with clothes, how could she find room for another person's wardrobe? And what about college...

Blair walked into the bathroom and splashed water on her face; she felt the nausea begin to stir inside of her. Instinctively she put her hand over her stomach. She wanted the baby. It was her baby. She forced herself to hold down her nausea and she stepped into the full view of the mirror. She saw the curve in her belly, and she lifted her blouse up to see its entirety. She couldn't believe she almost had an abortion.

"I'm so sorry..." she said rubbing her belly while still looking into the mirror, "I'm not normally like this, but I promise I won't ever put you in any danger again."

She let her blouse fall down and she held her tummy and smiled, "I'll protect you from now on, I promise."

•°•ღ•°•

Blair eventually went to the police. They told her they would do everything they could, despite that fact that many months had passed since the attack. When she finally contacted her parents they were the first to take action. Her father hired detectives and her mother made plans to fly out from Spain, where she was currently living.

They quickly found a suspect and Blair identified him out of a line up. It turns out he had MANY other cases pending against him, but they had never had DNA to convict him.

Blair then remembered something extremely important...her dress. It was still under her bed, left untouched from the night this whole nightmare started. She retrieved it and held onto the hope that this would be enough.

It was.

The man was convicted and tried, and he was going to be in prison for a VERY long time. He wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else.

...

"I'm more nervous now than I was in court," Blair said to Mrs. Garrett who was rubbing her back. They were sitting down on Mrs. Garrett's bed, "Well you did absolutely nothing wrong, you have no reason to be nervous, honey."

"I just want to get this over with, I avoid my biggest problems because it runs in the family."

Edna smiled, "You're going to be just fine."

Suddenly the door creaked open, Jo walked in quietly, "Your mother's here," she uttered.

Blair looked at Mrs. Garrett, they stood up and in charged a frantic Monica, "I'm so sorry, Blair!" she said wrapping her arms around her daughter's.

"I'm okay, Mother," she hushed letting her mother hold her. She saw Mrs. Garrett sneak out of the room and she wished she wouldn't have.

"Daddy wanted to be here but he wasn't sure if he should come," she slowed down. Blair wasn't too unhappy that he wasn't there. She didn't even want her mother there, she really just wanted to be left alone.

Monica stroked her daughter's cheek, "Daddy and I have found a beautiful couple, who would be willing to adopt the child."

Blair was caught off guard, "What?" she asked to be sure she heard correctly.

"We can do this privately dear, and this can also be as discrete as possible...and things will be back to normal in no time. I'll be there for-"

She pulled away from her mother, "What are you talking about? I'm not giving the baby up for adoption."

Monica tilted her head and chuckled, "Haha...what?" Blair shook her head and cradled her stomach, "I'm keeping my baby."

"Blair you can have another baby later, when you're out of school, and married," she said trying to take her daughter's hand, but Blair wasted no time pulling away again, and crossing her arms protectively over her abdomen, "I'm having _this_ baby in January and I'm keeping _this_ baby forever."

"But why would you want to have a...rapist's baby?" Monica asked confused.

Blair shook her head, "Because I love it."

"Honey, I'm only trying to save you from such a heartache-"

"HEARTACHE?" Blair shrieked, "How can a little baby be a heartache? It's mine, I want it!"

"Do you really, Blair?" she asked trying to put her hands on her shoulders but Blair pulled away for the third time,

"Stay away from me!" Blair turned and sat on Mrs. Garrett's bed.

Monica saw her belly stick out when she sat down, "I just love you so much. I just want to help you."

"Then stop telling me to give my child away," Blair whispered looking up. She traced the curve down her stomach, "I mean at first, I'll admit it: I didn't want to have a baby. I almost..." she didn't finish. She rubbed her belly and her mother watched her. How she cradled it in her hands and stroked it with each finger. She never touched her tummy the way Blair did. Blair was already a better mother. And Blair's frown soon began to loosen to a tiny smile, "Mother, it's mine. I'm keeping it...and I want you to be a part of our lives."

Edna creaked open the door and quietly entered, "Monica, I told Blair that I would help her take care of it, we all are more than capable of giving it a home. We're a family."

"Because you're her family!" Monica exclaimed. "I never did right by you Blair and I'm so sorry," she said painfully.

"Mother I am fine. I've had a great life, one bad thing happened in it and it had absolutely nothing to do with you."

"I'm sorry I didn't protect you-" Monica tried to apologize but Blair stopped her, "Stop it!" she screamed, "just stop this!"

Monica started to cry. Edna took her hand and Blair stood up to make eye level with her mother.

"I couldn't protect her either," Edna said sadly.

"Stop this," Blair said more ease. "This isn't your fault and this isn't your fault."

Edna stroked Monica's back as Blair took her mother's hands and held them tight.

"Mother you and Daddy did the best that you knew how. This is just how you two are. At the end of the day you're there but you miss out on so much in the meantime."

Monica frowned as her own guilt cut into her heart like thorns.

"I learned when I was very little that you would never be who I wanted you to be, and that I shouldn't hold it against you or I would always be mad at you. I wish you would've been like Mrs. Garrett, and YOU wish you would've been like her too" she said taking Mrs. Garrett's hand as the older woman stood there uncomfortable. Then Blair continued, "But when I stopped wishing you would be someone you weren't, I stopped getting upset when you would let me down. But you were never holding me up, and that's something that you need to forgive yourself for. I love you."

Monica pleaded through her tears, "Please forgive me-"

"Mother stop," she squeezed her hand, "I know that you love me. When I was little I always knew that you loved me. And I never held anything against you because I knew that you still loved me. I've never been mad at you, so just be there for me now. And we don't ever have to talk about this again."

Edna spoke in her soft voice, "You two don't see each other enough, so when you do, be thankful for the good times. And don't let the bad steal any time that you're given."

"Thank you," Monica said hugging Edna, "for taking care of my baby girl. You've brought her upright and I can never thank you enough. I will always be grateful."

Edna nodded her head and smiled, "But because of you I have another daughter, and for that, I MYSELF will always be grateful."

...

"I hope I'm doing the right thing," Blair said to Jo once her mother left and they were alone.

Jo leaned her head back, "What are you talking about?"

"I don't know, maybe this is wrong. Maybe my mother was right. I mean I have no idea what I'm doing. And one day I'm going to have to look my baby in the eye and tell it the truth."

Jo nodded her head, "I know, but will that mean that everything else isn't worth it?"

"What do you mean?" Blair asked. Jo continued, "Well because of that one thing you want to sacrifice all of the happiness and love and joy that a baby brings. You said it yourself, you love it. Because it's _your_ baby. Not his, it never was his and it'll never be his."

Blair frowned, "I know. I just want to do the right thing, Jo." Her friend wrapped her arms around her and squeezed her tight, "We all love you and we are here for you."

Mrs. Garrett was absolutely right. They could all give the baby everything it needed. They were a family, and Blair knew that this was the right thing for everyone. Her baby was staying right here, in her house, with her family and nothing was going to change that. No matter what happened next they were going to be able to do it because they had it other. That's what friends do; they just get through it together.

•°•ღ•°• 3 MONTHS LATER •°•ღ•°•

She was lying down on her side in her bed that was so small nowadays. 7 months and she was feeling it. She couldn't imagine how it was going to be when she was at 40 weeks, if she would even make it that far. Everything hurt and she was so nauseous all of the time.

After being in their bedroom for most of that Saturday it was now getting dark. She hadn't seen the girls all day, and she was so uncomfortable she didn't want to move.

Blair didn't go back to school in the fall, and she hadn't worked in the kitchen in quite a while, the pregnancy had really taken its toll on her body and her mind. Her normal sense of smell was long gone, she never got a night of peaceful sleep, her breasts exploded while her clothes continued to shrink, and worst of all: she couldn't dye her hair...and now everyone knew she wasn't a real blonde!

There were of course wonderful things that made all of the bad things okay. Now instead of spending lots of money in her wardrobe, she got to start two new ones because she didn't know if she was having a boy or a girl! And when she was lying down at night and couldn't sleep and would get frustrated, she would feel it start to move and that made all the difference in the world. It was fun feeling the baby kick, and think about what she would name it. That always made her smile.

Suddenly the door flew open and in pranced Natalie and Tootie who were giggling, "Come with us, we need to show you something," Tootie smiled. Blair didn't want to move.

"No..." she groaned rolling over so was facing opposite of them. They ran over to her bedside still cheery as ever, "No really, come with us," Natalie urged. She rolled back over annoyed, "What?"

They each grabbed a hand of hers and pulled her up and out of bed, "We need to show you something!"

She trudged across the room with Tootie pulling her and Natalie following right behind, "I can't believe we pulled it off," she mumbled.

"Pulled what off?" Blair asked as they stopped in front of a door, the one right next to Mrs. Garrett's room.

"You'll see..." Tootie smiled brightly as she slowly opened the door.

Blair's eyes lit up when she saw this room that she'd never set foot in before. Mrs. Garrett and Jo were in there, standing in the corner as Blair entered and looked around. The room was beautifully furnished with a King bed, a TV, and a white baby crib next to the bed.

"What is this?" she exclaimed in shock. "It's your new room, for you and the baby," Edna smiled.

Natalie gave a cheeky grin, "Now you don't have to worry about getting in anyone's way." She was given a jab in the arm by Tootie who quickly corrected her, "What Nat MEANS, is that we want you two to have your own space."

She suddenly had lots of energy, and she ran to the bed, "Oh you have no idea how happy this makes me!" she smiled throwing herself down on the soft mattress. She couldn't stop smiling, and then she shot up and went toward the white crib that was next to the bed. She touched the railing, it was beautiful.

"Do you know I really wanted a crib but I didn't think we were going to have room inside of our bed...well actually, your all's bedroom now," she laughed. "When did you all do this?" she asked.

"It only took a few hours, we got some of my brothers to move the furniture but we've been cleaning here and there for a while, thank God you decided to hide out in your room all day!" Jo grinned.

Blair smiled, "Thank you. All of you." They all went in for a group hug, "We hope you like it," Edna whispered and Blair tightened her grip on all of the girls, "I love it."

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**I really appreciate the two reviews, please leave more and I will update when I get enough!**


	3. Another Day is Dawning

**PLEASE READ! Well first of all thank you for checking out my story, and also, this chapter will be very short. The reason why is because the next upcoming chapters are going to be very long, the chapter after this one actually was so long it got split into two parts. I have the rest of this story already completed, but I'm not going to post anymore chapters until I get more reviews. Thanks!**

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The food on the table looked delicious, it was hard to hold back and wait for everybody to sit down and say grace. Another Thanksgiving with just the five of them, and as hungry as the girls were, that turkey didn't stand a chance.

Their mouths were watering, brown gravy, cranberries, hot rolls, buttered corn, and everyone's favorite: Edna's sweet apple pie…they all sat around the turkey, waiting to be devoured.

"Who would like to give thanks first?" Edna smiled. They all went around in a circle saying their own prayer of thanksgiving.

Tootie was first and she closed her eyes, "Dear God, thank you for the food, and for another wonderful Thanksgiving with my family. There's no place I'd rather be right now, thank you for giving us each other and blessing us this year…"

Natalie continued, "Yes God, thank you for our families and for giving us food today. For being able to be together another Thanksgiving, because it means the world to us. I am very thankful…"

Jo put her hand over her heart "God, thank you for this family that we have right here. All of us have at one point felt alone in our lives but we sure know now that we aren't. Our families that aren't here with us today, please be with them all wherever they are. Thank you for them, thank you for the food you've given us. Thank you for giving us a home and warm beds to sleep in. Thank you for providing for our needs and taking care of us always. This year's been rough but we know that you're there and will never leave us. So thank you…"

When it came to Blair she didn't hesitate, and she didn't speak to God indirectly as she used to,

"I'm very thankful also for this family that you've given me. I guess not many have what we have. Thank you for my child that will be here in a couple of months. Please help me to be a good mother. Please protect us all, and keep us safe. Thanks."

Edna nodded her head and finished giving thanks.

"Father you've blessed us abundantly despite anything that has happened. We've known pain, and we've cried, screamed, we've felt our back up against the wall. We've asked you why? But we've also been given more than we deserved, and we've never been hungry, and have never been without a roof over our heads. You've given me the daughters I've always wanted and I could never be more proud of them. You're giving us a baby really soon and I ask that you will protect them both. Things are changing whether we're ready or not, so I ask that you will prepare us for whatever may come our way. You are a good God, and we are all thankful, and we love you. Please bless this food that we all helped make. Amen."

They exchanged smiles, _thank you_ was their prayer. And then in a minute almost half of the food was gone.

Happy Thanksgiving.

•°•ღ•°• 3 WEEKS LATER•°•ღ•°•

The holidays were happening so fast this year, Christmas was just around the corner! It was December 23 and Natalie and Tootie had already left to visit family as they did the year before; Mrs. Garrett was going to visit her sister, unlike the year before. Last Christmas Blair gave up her ski trip to spend Christmas with Jo and Mrs. Garrett at the house. This year Blair had originally planned on flying out to visit her mother in Belize but her doctor was opposed to her flying. Jo chose not to even bother contacting her family this year, she didn't want another disappointment. She was more than happy with spending Christmas in Peekskill. Mrs. Garrett on the other hand was hesitant to leave the girls at the house alone,

"I know it's just for a couple of days but…" she shook her head grimacing.

"Mrs. G, don't even start," Jo said with a smile.

"You girls know I wouldn't leave you unless I absolutely had too?"

They nodded, "Of course we do, but your sister needs you."

Beverly Ann had just gotten divorced and was having a rough time,

"Nobody should spend Christmas alone," Blair said. Jo smiled,

"And I'll keep Blair company and Blair will keep me company."

Edna nodded her head but still worried, "But Blair you're so close…I just have this feeling-"

"Mrs. Garrett, will you relax!" Blair laughed, "I'm sure we can take care of ourselves for a couple of days and besides, if anything happens the hospital is 10 minutes away, the fire department is 5 minutes away, and the police station is 6 minutes away. What could go wrong? It's Christmas!"

Edna shook her head again, "I don't want to know what could go wrong, just be careful," she nodded giving each girl a kiss on the cheek and hugging them. She put her hand on Blair's stomach, and then she looked up at her,

"Have you been feeling okay?" she asked concerned. Blair's demeanor immediately changed,

"Yes…why?" Edna kissed her cheek again, "I'm just making sure before I leave you two. Okay, okay I'm leaving," she said picking up her suitcase and opening the door.

"And why don't you get groceries today, it's supposed to snow tonight. I love you," she said before closing the door.

Jo looked at Blair, the house was silent. Their stockings hung over the fireplace alone, the tree had a handful of presents, and the windows were starting to frost.

"It's going to be a good Christmas," Jo said smiling, "I can already tell." Blair returned the smile and winked,

"Let's go get some food before it gets bad out."

Both girls retrieved their coats and headed out the door. The wind was furious, and the huge snowflakes that hit their face were so cold they stung. This was going to be a very white Christmas.

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**Once again I won't post any more chapters until I get more reviews, so it's up to you! :-) **


	4. Thunderous Winds Are Blowing

**I am really excited to post this next chapter. Like really friggin excited. And I would like to remind everyone that THIS IS NOT SLASH; I'm staying true to the original franchise. And that's all I'm going to say for now :)**

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It snowed all night long, the girls barely made it home to trudge through 10 inches of snow. They both also had trouble sleeping, their first night alone in the house was a little more lonely than they thought...the softest creak sent their eyes flying open. The cold morning arrived leaving a scratch in their throats when they got out of bed.

"It's really snowing," Jo said coming down the stairs to Blair, who was sitting on the couch reading, as she looked out the window on the chilly morning. It looked like a blizzard outside, Blair's car was covered with ice and the street, well, you wouldn't know there was a street. The phone was out too, it was a miracle that even the electricity was still on. That snow just had to keep falling all day long at a consistent rate, "We'll probably be snowed in for the next week!" Jo laughed.

Blair didn't even know that Jo was talking to her, as she was wrapped inside of the pages that she was holding. Suddenly her baby moved sharply, she barely noticed because it moved so frequently these days, that didn't feel like a kick though, it felt like it shifted or something. "One month to go," she thought.

She felt it move again and this time it made her really uncomfortable.

Stepping away from the window, Jo noticed Blair's book was down and both hands were on her stomach,

"You alright?" she asked. Blair squirmed in her seat, "Oh yeah, it's just…I don't know, that was weird…"

"What was?" Jo sat down beside her. "Oh, nothing," Blair smiled as she stood up. "I'm going to go lie down," she said leaving.

•°•ღ•°•

_I can't believe the roads are closed, how are we supposed to get out if we really need to? _Jo thought to herself as she turned off the TV. _That's just like 'em. I mean I like snow and all but no phone either! It's a good thing we got groceries yesterday._

"At least it's Christmas tomorrow," Jo said out loud as she stood up, "I guess we didn't plan on going anywhere anyway…"

It was strange having the house to themselves. The house was so empty. With no Natalie or Tootie…no Mrs. G, for the first time...there was no one to talk to. Hopefully Blair would feel better later.

Suddenly Jo found herself growing a little sleepy, _I don't want to wake Blair if she's sleeping, just a quick nap right here_…she laid down on the couch. She looked at her watch: 3:20; just a thirty minute nap will be fine. Her eyes closed, and she fell asleep immediately.

…

She didn't mean to sleep as long as she did. Jo sat up confused, she looked at her watch, it was almost seven o' clock. Almost three and a half hours went by, she rubbed her eyes and stood up, _is Blair still lying down?_

The house remained as silent as it did before she fell asleep. Walking up the stairs she heard a noise coming from Blair's bedroom, it sounded like…her steps quickened and she ran quickly, throwing open the door she saw Blair lying down, clutching the sheets of her bedspread. She was inhaling and exhaling deeply, her eyes squeezed shut tight. Jo noticed her clothes were different, she was wearing a nightgown and her hair was pulled back with a barrette. She had curled her body, knees as close to her chest as her belly would allow. Her fingers released the sheets and she brought them up to her stomach, holding it with one and rubbing it with the other.

When Blair realized Jo was standing there watching her, she covered her eyes with her elbow,

"Jo get out of here!" She covered her whole entire face, "Please don't look at me right now…"

Jo started to walk towards her but Blair shrieked, "I don't want you to see me like this, go!"

Ignoring Blair, Jo ran to her, "Oh God, please no…" she whispered watching her breathe, which was now in small, short breaths.

Blair looked up at her, eyes filling with tears, "I…my-" but she couldn't finish as she grabbed a hold of Jo and gasped. _No_… Jo thought to herself. Not now, not yet.

"Please Jo, leave me alone..." She was breathing heavy and you could see how terrified she was, her worried eyes closed tightly and tears falling from them.

"Oh what am I saying...I can't do this alone..." she said wiping her damp forehead with her free hand. Eventually she loosened her other hand from Jo and wiped a tear from her eye, "Jo my water broke..."

The roads. No phone. Alone in the house. Panic. Panic. Panic.

Then Blair's eyes squeezed tight and so did her grip on Jo's hand, "No...it's starting again!"

Jo watched her and rubbed her back as it passed. Then she proposed to get help from the neighbors but Blair refused, "Don't leave me now, don't leave I am so afraid."

Never seen so much terror in someone's eyes as did Jo; slowly she responded, "Of course..." with a whisper of comfort.

Not knowing what else to say Jo shook her head slowly. There was absolutely nothing she could do. Blair had to lay there and take the pain that was above all things ever known to any human being. How scary it must be. How heavy her heart feels at this moment. How alone she is. She tried to smile…before it started again, "It's going to be okay…" she said quietly as she stroked her back, "Everything's going to be okay…"

•°•ღ•°•

About an hour passed since Jo found her. By now she had time to find one of Mrs. Garrett's health books and read a few pages about delivering a baby. At this time Blair was sitting up, it hurt too much to lie down. She closed her eyes and held her stomach, head stretching toward the ceiling.

The book was very descriptive, it told how catch the baby and what to do after it came out; it described what to do if the baby was breeched or had the cord wrapped around its neck. All the while Jo was just praying that nothing would go wrong. That she could just pull the baby out and clean it and hand it to Blair and everything be just great; so far their luck wasn't beating those odds.

Blair laid back down and she turned onto her side. She twisted around and moaned as the contractions got more intense, they were the most horrible thing she could ever imagine.

Jo held her hand until Blair pushed it away, "Jo nothing helps! I don't know what to do anymore it just keeps getting worse..." she bawled.

This was so hard; much harder than she thought it would be. She couldn't believe that she was doing this in her house, in her own bedroom with Jo there. Why was this happening right now, on this day? This was too soon.

"Jo I'm supposed to have 4 weeks left," she said with tears still in her eyes.

The brunette rubbed her hands together; she felt useless. She read the book and she grabbed the towels, but they were snowed in with a phone that was as worthless as she felt and there was not another damn thing she could do. And a baby was coming soon, and there was no way to stop it. No way at all.

She tried to take the edge off, "Babies are born early all the-" but she didn't finish.

Jo looked at Blair, her body was almost shaking, and there was sweat shining around her forehead. She covered her face with her hand, the tears weren't stopping.

"I'm going to go get help-" Jo finally said turning toward the door.

"NO!" Blair shouted and Jo stopped in her tracks, "Don't leave me here!"

Running her hands through her hair Jo's mind was racing. _What do I do?_ She came back over to Blair and touched her shoulder, Blair needed real help. From people who actually knew what they were doing. From people who went to medical school or took a course or something. NOT HER. Not from someone who read 3 pages of a health book.

Jo never felt hollow a day in her life...until now.

She knew so much about the world. Or at least she thought she did. How could she not know what to do, hadn't women been doing this for thousands of years?

She stroked her back, "Okay well if women have been doing this for thousands of years, we can do it in 1984. We have way more than the first settlers did, they-" but she cut herself off when she saw Blair's eyes squeeze tight. Her poor body must've felt like it was coming apart.

"Jo, will you please pray with me?" Blair sobbed. Jo pursed her lips, and nodded her head as she grabbed Blair's hand, squeezing it as she said a humble prayer out loud.

_Dear God_, Blair cried out silently to herself, could God listen to her heart? She could barely think at the moment and she was new to this, _I know I have no right to ask you anything, but __I wouldn't ask for you unless I really needed you and I'm sorry but I really need you! Please help me get through this, I feel like I'm dying. I don't know what to do, I'll do anything just please protect my child…I love my baby, please bring it to me safely…Amen._

Her legs were trembling, it was getting close, she could feel it. There was no way to dscribe this pain.

"It's almost over," Jo said softly. Blair nodded her head and took one deep breath, she exhaled slowly.

_Please let this be over soon…_

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**This chapter was too long so I broke it into two parts, to read the second part I need at least 5 more reviews, toodles! :)**


	5. Let The Rain Come and Wash Away My Tears

**PLEASE READ ALL: Wow I'm taken aback with the response I've gotten over the past week, more PMs than ever & I love it! Thank you to who all reviewed, and if you haven't shame on you. And I also want to admit, yes, I know I've taken the snowed-in/gone-into-labor-early-delivery cliche from every soap opera out there. I'm quite aware but it works well for this particular story. And have you seen my new profile picture? If you haven't please look! It's a picture of me holding an autographed picture of Lisa Whelchel! Yay! :) And also, some parts of this chapter might be considered a little "graphic" to those of you with weak stomachs, I'm just warning ya! So, without further ado here is the second part to the moment we've all been waiting for, thanks!**

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Blair leaned against the headboard of her bed; she arched her back and twisted uncomfortably. "Please do something…" she moaned to Jo who was frantically running in and out of the bathroom. "Hold on I'm coming," Jo replied bringing more towels, she threw several under the shivering Blair, she sat down in front of her, "I'm here."

"It feels like I'm dying…" she whimpered. She was in hard labor, Blair cried feebly as another contraction started, "No…" she sobbed, her arms holding her belly. Jo was panicking, every second her heart was beating faster and faster,

"Are you sure you don't want me to get help? I can run real fast…"

Blair shook her head wearily, "It's right here!" she wailed. She then turned her head and rested her chin on her shoulder where Jo couldn't see her face grimacing as she tried to breathe, it just kept coming out in chokes .

Jo massaged Blair's leg softly, "I know this is the scariest thing you've ever had to do, but everything will be okay."

Blair's contraction eased and she calmed down, "I'm so sorry Jo, I know this is gross…"

Shaking her head Jo quickly stopped her, "No, every mother has to do this exact same thing, our mothers have done it, I'll have to, we'll all have to, it's part of being a woman, nothing's gross about that."

Blair rose up, she leaned over and reached for Jo's hand moaning, "This is it, it's coming!"

Jo took a deep breath and gulped, "Um, okay…well, I'll-you-just…do what you have to do." She leaned back feeling her body becoming so tight and heavy, "Oh no…" she whimpered as she felt something begin to squeeze through her. _You're a lady, don't scream_…she told herself within her mind, _keep breathing._ All she wanted to was for the pain to stop; she just wanted to close her eyes within a single blink and for everything to be over. She wanted the baby out of her body and in her arms. But her body was breaking apart, and she was powerless to stop it.

Right now she was leaning back, legs spread just enough. Her hands were over her face, and she wasn't thinking about anything except getting the baby out. She could feel it little by little beginning to squeeze itself out, burning her between her legs, the exhausting force, bleeding her completely dry.

Jo was concentrating on the task at hand, "You're doing it, come on Blair!"

She forced herself to push as hard as she could. It felt awful hard whatever was sliding out and she gave it all she had, now ignoring the pain.

"Come on Blair," Jo called, "keep pushing!" she said as her fingers were now tracing the top of the head.

Blair's muscles were working as hard as they could, she was just so tired. She'd never been in this much pain before or so much pain for this long. Her skin was stretched to the absolute limit, this was it, and there was no more room left. _I can't take it anymore!_ It burned!

There. The hard part was out, and a small relief came in an instant. She waited a moment catching her breath; the next contraction would be coming soon enough.

"How much longer?" she pleaded to Jo who had her hands between her legs.

"It's almost out," Jo promised, "it's almost over."

"Don't drop it!" Blair shrieked; Jo smiled, "I'm not going to drop it."

Then she felt it returning, it was building at first and then it hit her, the most painful force untangling out of her and she screamed, screaming at the fear and the pain but she kept pushing and it came loose; the rest of the body fell into Jo's hands.

She let out a loud sigh and watched Jo wrap the baby in a dark green towel, cleaning her mouth for air and the baby began to cry. She sat up, holding her arms out, "Angel…" Blair whispered as Jo placed the little one into her mother's arms. She touched her cheek, and kissed her forehead.

"She looks okay," Jo encouraged. Blair nodded her head beaming, _she..._

Jo didn't really know what she was expecting, she didn't look premature. Was she expecting the size of a small baby doll? Oh my goodness. Blair just gave birth to a baby. Naturally at that, in their own house on a snowed in Christmas Eve.

She sighed of relief as the baby began to calm, "That was amazing, Blair." The new mother felt her throat begin to ache, her eyes got heavy; she was no longer crying because of pain. _Thank you...thank you..._

~*:*~

It wasn't painful looking at her. She saw her beautiful daughter, her precious, beautiful baby. "She looks like you," Jo said, "I'm not just saying that, she has that Warner quality, look at that nose."

Blair smiled, "That is my nose..."

All three of them laid side by side in Blair's bed, the baby in the middle. As exhausted as they were, they had spent almost an hour just leaning over the newborn. Blair took a long bath once everything was over with; she sat down in the shower, her daughter lying on her legs as she cleaned them both. She felt SO much better.

They'd never taken care of a baby by themselves before, only back when Blair's old pal Allison bailed on them and left little Emily with them for the night. That was years ago though, and it wasn't just the two of them, they had Mrs. Garrett, they had Tootie and Nat, then they had someone to turn to. But it couldn't be that bad, doesn't every woman have a motherly instinct, wouldn't just _know_ what to do…

The first time she cried Blair wanted to freak out,

"Oh no, she's crying, what do we do?!" she started to panic. Jo shook her head, "It's okay, just pick her up and hold her first." Blair did just that but the little child kept crying, "It's not working!"

"Don't get excited," Jo reasoned, "undo your gown, try to feed her."

Blair's eyes widened, did she even know how to do this? She slowly turned her back on Jo, and very slowly opened her gown. She looked down at her breasts, they were so full of milk they hurt; but she wasn't looking forward to this because she had absolutely no idea of what she was doing.

She didn't have time to think though because her newborn daughter was still crying, Blair lifted the baby's head to her breast and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath before guiding her lips around her skin, the baby immediately began to suck.

She looked over her shoulder to Jo, _they work!_

~*:*~

It took a little while before it actually hit Blair that the baby was hers. It was all hers.

It scared her, because this was it. It was time for her to be an adult now, she didn't have a choice, she had someone else now to worry about. Somebody needed her. Jo broke her thought,

"I feel like this is really hitting me now," she nodded her head smiling.

Blair's face brightened again, "It doesn't even feel real…and then I look at her and I can actually touch her and then it just makes me want to cry. I can't describe what I'm feeling. I can't believe she's really here."

Jo grinned, "I can't believe you actually did it right here, without drugs, without a doctor, without-"

"Yes I know," Blair gave her cheekiest grin.

Jo was so inspired, "I know you said it's hard to describe, but try, what does it feel like to have your own baby?"

The baby brought her hand up to her chin and the girls both smiled, Blair touched her little hand,

"She's not just mine, she's all of ours. I couldn't do this without you all."

Smiling gently Jo whispered, "What are you going to name her?"

Blair's smile remained and she kissed her baby's forehead, "Well, I didn't know if I was having a baby girl yet but I did have something in mind if I did…"

"And what is it?" Jo replied softly stroking the baby's cheek.

The tiny little one slept soundly, while Blair's soft voice continued, "Iris."

Looking up from the newborn, both eyes met each other and Blair gave a small chuckle.

"Iris?"

Blair smiled wiping a tear that was sliding down her face; she got very quiet, almost to a whisper. "I was looking at this book one day, it had a picture of a purple flower on it," she began. The little girl laid underneath a soft blanket, in between the two and she was so perfect. "I thought to myself, _that's so beautiful_…" her voice trailed off. She kissed her baby's forehead again, "It was called an iris."

"Iris is a very beautiful name, for a beautiful little girl," Jo added.

"I liked it and I wanted to see what the name itself meant. My name means _plain_," Blair rolled her eyes with a friendly smirk, "and I just wanted her name to be special," she continued. Jo nodded her head,

"What does it mean?"

Blair looked up and smiled, "Rainbow," she said and looked back down at her daughter, "it means rainbow."

_Rainbow… _Jo's thoughts altered, she shook her head. Blair nodded hers before continuing, "Yes, it does. And it got me to thinking, if there's a God, and I believe now there is...then he made me rainbow after a..._terrible _thunderstorm."

Jo laid her head down, and Blair did the same; looking at the ceiling Blair whispered, "I know there is a God. Because down came the rain, and look what I got, a beautiful flower."

The sound of her voice began to change, it was pain but it was brave, "And I wouldn't change anything."

Jo was so proud of her. And she couldn't wait to show the new baby girl to everyone. Tootie and Natalie were going to be so thrilled and Mrs. Garrett...oh this was going to be so much fun! After nine months of waiting for hope to arrive, it was finally here. Jo smiled and closed her eyes,

"Merry Christmas."

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**Thank you so much for reading! We've got 2 more chapters left! To get the next one posted I need more reviews!**


	6. Once in a Lullaby

**This chapter was the hardest to write. It probably took me the longest but hey, we're almost finished! I appreciate all of the reviews and encouragement. I'm glad I finally found people who love the FOL as much as I do :) BTW if any of you are on Twitter, my name is InYouIFindMe; follow me & we can talk about how awesome FOL is!**

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"Blair Warner!" Edna nervously stated to the nurse with Natalie and Tootie behind her. It was the day after Christmas and they rushed home to get to the hospital as soon as they heard the news. On Christmas day the electricity was back on and the roads were clear; Jo drove Blair and the baby immediately to the hospital.

The only pain Blair still felt was muscle soreness, however her daughter's early arrival brought some concern to the doctors. But after being examined and several tests later, baby Iris was in the clear.

"She's right down there," the nurse pointed down the hallway to a room on the end. The girls quickly moved with both fear and excitement, they reached the open door and quietly entered.

Edna immediately sighed of relief when she saw Blair sitting up and laughing with Jo, who sat right in front of her on the bed.

"Merry Christmas!" Jo exclaimed standing up to hug each of them. Blair reached out to hug Mrs. Garrett who was making her way towards her, "How are you feeling, sweetheart?" she asked.

"I'm feeling good," she whispered with her arms around Mrs. Garrett's, she was so happy to be able to hug her again.

"Where is she?" Tootie thrillingly asked.

"The doctor's have her right now but they should be bringing her back any time," she smiled.

"Was it scary?" Natalie beckoned and Blair quietly replied, "Oh you have no idea…"

Jo interrupted the thought, "They might let Blair go home tonight."

"So soon?" Tootie questioned.

Blair nodded her head, "Apparently the more natural it is the faster you recover, mine was just about as natural as it gets…" she said with a sarcastic smile.

"What about the baby?" Edna asked with a grimace.

"Oh she's fine," Jo answered, "Blair didn't go the whole 40 weeks so the doctor's ran tests and everything but she seems to be fine."

Tootie through her hands up, "Do they know why you went into labor early?"

Blair shook her head, "The doctors say there could be a number of reasons but, I don't know…I was up and down all morning, sitting up, lying down, back and forth…well, needless to say my water broke and Iris was born right before midnight."

Then the door slowly opened and in came a nurse pushing a clear plastic case, the girls squealed and Edna almost fainted as the nurse brought the precious little one to her mama,

"And I couldn't be more in love…" Blair picked her up from the basket and then handed her to Mrs. Garrett.

"Oh my…" Edna beamed with enthusiasm, "oh is this not the most adorable little girl you've ever seen…" she kissed the baby's cheek.

Tootie and Natalie hovered around the excitement, "Hi my little Angel!" Tootie whispered as loudly as she possibly could have.

"Are you trying to wake her up or something?" Natalie whispered just as loudly if not more.

The family was all back together again, everything was perfect. They were going to be released soon and everything was all ready for them back at the house. They passed the baby around, they couldn't get enough of her.

Edna sat down on the bed next to Blair while the girls "oohed and awed" behind them. "Now you know, Blair," she smiled.

"What do you mean?" Blair replied.

"Now you know," she said again. "Becoming a mother, it changes everything. It opens you up to a whole new world."

"I know, Mrs. Garrett. I've never felt so scared in my entire life."

"It's true, you learn about fears you didn't know existed, you almost discover a part of yourself that wasn't there before. It's the toughest and most wonderful thing about being alive. And now you know."

"I do know," Blair grinned recollecting all that she had experienced she found out she was pregnant.

"It almost makes a little sad," Edna whispered.

A confused Blair frowned, "Why does it make you sad?"

"Because…" the older woman began, "You've been my girl since the moment I stole that cigarette out of your hand the day we met."

The laughed quietly to themselves, "Oh don't remind me, that was so long ago …" Blair chuckled.

"And from that moment on I've tried my best to protect and show you how much I love you."

"You have…" Blair said taking her hand, "so why does that make you sad?"

Edna squeezed her hand and her smile faded, "Because you've grown up. You have your own daughter now, you don't need me anymore…" she shook her head.

Blair almost gasped, "Oh Mrs. Garrett, I do need you!" They forgot about the girls in the background who were slowly inching their noses into the conversation. Jo seen Mrs. Garrett's face,

"Come on guys, let me give you a tour of the hallway…" she said pushing Natalie and Tootie toward the door.

"Oh come on it was just getting good-"Tootie managed to say before disappearing out the door.

Blair immediately returned to her previous thought, "I mean it Mrs. Garrett, if Jo hadn't of been there with me, I don't know what I would've done-"

"Yes you would have, honey," Mrs. Garrett smiled. "A mother knows. Your nerves may tell you, oh you're doing this wrong, or no, you don't know what you're doing."

"I don't," Blair quickly said.

"But you do," Edna added, "Jo told me how you fed her on the first night with no problems, and you didn't have any diapers at the house and yet you managed to make some cloth ones until you could leave. You're stronger than what you think. And you're more capable of what you think too."

"I don't know how to do anything-"

"As mothers, we just do the best we can."

"But I'll always need you, Mrs. Garrett."

Edna smiled, "I'm proud of you. And I'm here for you. And now it's time to enjoy the rest, enjoy my new granddaughter."

They exchanged a smile.

_I love you._

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**Yeah, not that long but we're winding down. I can't believe we only have one more chapter left! Makes me a little sad :'( *sniff sniff* Don't stop reviewing!**


	7. The Ballad of a Dove

**Do you have any idea how much I want to cry while I'm posting this. It's over! This is the last chapter :'( Do you know that I have probably over 40 stories in my computer right now, some as old as 4 years old...and this is the ONLY one I've ever been able to finish. It's groundbreaking for me. I want to thank all of you who have reviewed and sent me messages. I'm thankful for the friends I've made on here, I want to dedicate this last chapter to you, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE :) Please feel free to leave your last reviews so that I can be happy with the way this turned out. Love you all xoxo -Amber**

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FOUR YEARS LATER

~*:*~

"Where's Rissy?" Jo's cheery voice called as she crawled around on the floor in the living room. A tiny blonde haired little girl suddenly flew out from behind the couch, "Boo!" she screamed before tackling Jo to the ground. They were rolling around in laughter on the carpet when a loud voice interrupted the fun, "Iris Marie, your dress!" she shrieked.

"I'm sorry, Mommy…" she frowned as the young woman picked her up and held her against her waist. "It's alright sweetie," she whispered, she bent forward and hissed quietly "Jo I've told you a million times she can't play rowdy in her dresses!"

Jo rolled her eyes, "She's always wearing dresses and geez Blair she's about to go to sleep anyway…" Blair cracked a smile behind her stern eyes.

"'Ris why don't you go upstairs and change into your nightgown, I'll be up in a minute and we'll read a story, okay?" Little Iris smiled and kissed her mother's cheek, "Okay, Mama," she said as Blair set her down, and watched her run up the stairs, her chubby legs moving as fast as they could. She had her mother's eyes, and her mother's nose. It was hard to tell if her hair would get darker like Blair's did when she got older but for now it was almost white.

"Now, how are things going with Tad?" Jo smirked. Blair gave a cheeky grin, "About as good as things are going with Rick. I've been thinking about introducing him to Rissy."

"Ooh things must be getting serious!" Jo laughed before Blair smirked, "Oh please, it's not that serious. But we have been dating for a little while and he wants to meet her. Surprised me, but even if he is "Mr. Right" I'm not making any commitments until I am settled at Eastland. Buying a school is easy but who knew that running one would be so hard? I got bills and kids there, bills and a four year old running around here, Lord, my load is heavy."

Just then the door opened, Mrs. Garrett walked in throwing her purse on the ground, "Stick a fork in me, I am done!"

"What happened?" Jo asked. Mrs. Garrett shook her head, "I waited for over an hour for that man to show up and he never did. I don't even know why I still bother." The girls looked at each other and frowned.

"Oh it's alright, I have you girls, that's enough love for me," she said walking over to them and kissing them each on the forehead. "I'm going to bed, good night."

Blair turned to Jo, "I was really hoping she would have a good time tonight." Shrugging Jo smiled, "You take the good, you take the bad, you're born, you move on, you die, that's life." The blonde rolled her eyes grinning and turned, "I see, well I'm going upstairs."

"I can just imagine you, Rissy, Tad and Rick and I all living here together with Mrs. Garrett fifteen years from now," Jo laughed, Blair turned around, straight faced. Jo continued when she realized how serious it sounded,

"I'm joking…" she affirmed.

Blair's face softened, she smiled and took a breath, "If things got really serious between Tad and I...I don't know…" And she began heading towards the stairs, but then she turned around again, "Someday, probably. But I mean I love living here. We love living here, I had my baby here. I have an amazing family and I wouldn't trade it for the world. You're my best friend, I have a happy little girl, I love Mrs. Garrett-I couldn't ask for a better mother, and if I did leave one day, it wouldn't be because I wanted to."

Jo laughed and nodded her head, "Yeah, it's like a tire, if it's not flat, why change it?"

Blair tittered, "You're such a boy. Good night," she finished walking up the stairs and disappearing around the corner.

"Good night," Jo said as she yawned to herself.

They had come a long way. From dishes to paint fights, to graduation to college, from departures to arrivals. Through it all they learned how to take the good and the bad, and live with them, each other, together.

~*:*~

"And they lived happily ever after…" Blair finished as she saw her baby's eyes closing. She did her best not to wake her little girl who was lying down in her bed. She carefully crawled out and put the book back on the shelf. Tip toeing back towards her bed she began to pick up her child to lay her down in her own bed,

"Mama can I sleep with you tonight?" little Iris whispered as her mother was picking her up. Blair looked down and Iris was smiling, her eyes wide open. "Oh you're so sneaky…" Blair laughed quietly as she laid Iris back down, and she walked around, crawling into the other side of the bed. Her daughter moved closer to her and she laid her head on her chest.

Blair leaned down and whispered, "Did you say your prayers?"

Iris nodded her headand snuggled in closer to her mother. Blair kissed her head, "Good night, my precious angel…"

She stroked her little girl's hair until she fell asleep, her wavy blonde curls intertwined with her fingers.

There was nothing that she would change about her life. She couldn't ask for a better one, even in a world where things were full of bad, they were also full of good; there was much to be thankful for.

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**God bless you all, thank you for your constant support & don't forget...You got the future in the palm of your hands, all you gotta do to get you through is understand, you think you rather do without, you will never make without the truth, the facts of life is all about you!  
**


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